Interest

Ghibli's Neppū Issue Features Anti-Nuclear Demonstration Drawing

The February issue of Studio Ghibli's monthly periodical Neppū features a cover illustration of a group of people in the middle of an anti-nuclear protest. Yohei Takamatsu, the art director of the Ghibli short Hoshi o Katta Hi (The Day I Bought a Star) and a background artist on Spirited Away and other features, drew the piece which includes such signs as "Protect the disaster area from nuclear power!" and "Protect the children!" Ghibli co-founder and director Hayao Miyazaki has protested nuclear power in the past, notably after the March 11 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The special theme of the February issue is demonstrations of all varieties, including the Occupy Wall Street protests in the United States. Various authors discuss the history of demonstrations and the premise that today's demonstrations in Paris and elsewhere are part of an ongoing cultural movement.

Last month's issue of Neppū featured Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and studio co-founder Isao Takahata on the cover, and it contained an interview with Miyazaki. In the interview, Miyazaki said that he plans to complete his current work a year and a half from now, but cautioned that he does not know what may happen in the meantime, including political change. The word "neppū" means "hot wind" in Japanese — essentially the same meaning that the word "ghibli" has in Italian.

[Via Tsk06]